Lebanon’s two current crises will not evaporate anytime soon. Our economy is struggling and GDP growth rates are too low for the needs of an emerging country. Our cities and villages are confronted by a refugee crisis of immense proportions. Neither problem will go away if we just close our eyes and both are related…

One of the greatest challenges facing the Middle East is also one of the most underappreciated: how to attract and retain human capital. This is a real impediment to the strategic plans of some Middle East countries, particularly those in the GCC. They are making the transition away from resource based economies to knowledge based…

The most conspicuous result of Beirut Governor Ziad Chebib’s November decision to close the city’s main slaughterhouse because of unsanitary conditions is the lack of impact it had on the market. The price of cattle and sheep meat remained stable as supply was, apparently, completely uninterrupted. “Are you still eating the meat in Lebanon?” Chebib…

Perhaps the first thing refugees fleeing a war zone need is medical attention. It is no surprise, then, that Lebanese hospitals have been busier than usual since war engulfed Syria in 2012. According to a recent UNDP study, in fact, in 2014, humanitarian aid inflows focused on Syrian refugees have spurred 1.76 percent in additional…

Some are starting to see it. As the world moves to the web and mobile, leaders of industry are beginning to see changes happening from their vantage points at the top of the chain of command. They also see threats to their positions. The term ‘burning platform’ refers to the idea that traditional industries can’t…

For many Lebanese, from government ministers to taxi drivers, the cause of the country’s economic downturn is clear: 1.16 million Syrian refugees. While a population increase of more than 25 percent has certainly strained infrastructure and further challenged the state’s ability to provide basic services, the notion that the refugees are directly responsible for sluggish…

All couples hope their marriages will work out and they will live happily ever after. But the truth is that many relationships end in divorce and Lebanese couples are no exception. According to a 2012 study by the Lebanese Central Administration of Statistics, there were almost 6,000 divorces in 2010. The issue for these couples…

For this month’s special report on women in the workforce, Executive chose to profile a selection of seven successful, upper managerial level, Lebanese working women. Read more profiles as they’re published here, or pick up March’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. Lamia Moubayed, head of the Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan (IoF), believes that there…

For this month’s special report on women in the workforce, Executive chose to profile a selection of seven successful, upper managerial level, Lebanese working women. Read more profiles as they’re published here, or pick up March’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. “My mother is very important to me. She raised four children while working when most…

For this month’s special report on women in the workforce, Executive chose to profile a selection of seven successful, upper managerial level, Lebanese working women. Read more profiles as they’re published here, or pick up March’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. “I’m very comfortable with numbers and I love to work with them,” says Hayat Nader,…

For this month’s special report on women in the workforce, Executive chose to profile a selection of seven successful, upper managerial level, Lebanese working women. Read more profiles as they’re published here, or pick up March’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. “When I travel for work, people ask me how I have the heart to leave…

The unprecedented rate at which the number of Syrian refugees in the region has grown has caught the world’s attention. After nearly four years of unrest, roughly 1.17 million Syrians are currently registered as refugees in Lebanon — and the number continues to creep up. But an often underreported and misunderstood figure is the number…

When Lebanon’s health ministry last year embarked on a proactive national food safety campaign, it disrupted industries that by all indications had been complacent for far too long. Inspections of establishments in all parts of the citizens’ food supply chain revealed practices ranging from bad to repulsive to outright criminal — such as unsafe storage…

For this month’s special report on women in the workforce, Executive chose to profile a selection of seven successful, upper managerial level, Lebanese working women. Read more profiles as they’re published here, or pick up March’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. When Laure Sleiman was first appointed as director of the National News Agency (NNA) in…